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Abstract
This study investigated a school district's middle school 1:1 initiative and its potential to raise the quality of instruction, to increase levels of teacher engagement, and to provide equity of access to enriched learning experiences for students within the district's two middle schools. Through utilizing a mixed method design, data were collected from an online teacher survey as well as teacher and support personnel interviews. The results of this study provide insight for middle schools implementing a 1:1 laptop initiative. A strong culture of support and professional development, helping teachers to engage with technology personally and professionally, seeing the broader issues of digital equity, and understanding how quality instruction is enhanced but not dependent on technology integration can impact teacher perceptions and practice. The study concludes with recommendations, including the use of standard protocols for selecting digital content and ongoing, relevant professional development with a specific recommendation for professional development on handling negative student laptop behaviors, and a recommendation for administrative leadership to play a continual, active, and visible role in the technology implementation of the school. Finally, an updated conceptual framework that could potentially help teachers plan instruction with technology is introduced.